Stop for the operating bar of door fasteners



June 7, 1949. E H 2,472,146

STOP FOR THE OPERATING BAR 0F DOOR FASTENERS Filed Nov. 30, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 1 IIZViQ/OTI eg ye BBQ/h.

June' 7, 1949.-

a. E. DATH 2,472,146

STOP FOR THE OPERATING BAR OF DOOR FASTENERS Filed Nov. 30, 1.945

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inven/of: Geg ge ZZDa/fh Patented June 7, 1949 STOP FORTHE OPERATING BAR OF DGOR. FASTENERS George E. Dath, Mokena, Ill.,assignor to W. H. Miner, 1110., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Dela.

Ware

Application November 30, 1945, Serial No. 631,904

Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in a stop for the operating barof door fasteners.

One object of the invention is to provide a door fastener for hingeddoors comprising a rotary operating bar mounted on the door and havingkeeper engaging crank members at opposite ends thereof cooperating withfixedkeepers, operated by a lever on the bar, wherein stop means isprovided for arresting rotation of the bar and holding the lever spacedfrom the door when the latter has been forced open and thus preventmarring of the door which, would otherwise occur if the operating handlewere permitted to contact the same.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a door fastenermechanism as set forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein a hearing orguide bracket is provided on the door for rotatably supporting the bar,and the stop means comprises a one piece bearing block on the bar havingbearing portions at opposite ends rotatably journaled in cooperatingseats in the bracket, and a radially extending stop projection betweenits ends having shouldered engagement with a cooperating stop on thebracket to arrest rotation of the bar and hold the operating leverspaced from the outer side of the door when the latter has been forcedopen.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the. drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is abroken, front elevational view of a wall provided with a door opening,and a pair of hinged doors for closing said open ing illustrating myimprovements in connection therewith. Figure 2 is a front elevationalview, on an enlarged. scale, of the mechanism at the mid portion of thebar, as shown in Figure 1, the upper and lower end portions of the barbeing broken away. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view,corresponding substantially to the line 33 of Figure 2, the bearingblock being shown in plan. Figure 4 is a transverse, horizontalsectional view through the bearing block of my improved mechanism, takenat approximately the mid portion of said block. Figure 5 is a detailedperspective view of the bearing block. Figure 6 is a vertical sectionalview. corresponding substantially to the line 6-6 of Figure 2. Figure 7is a top plan view of the bearing bracket for supporting the bar. Figure8 is a view similar to Figure 3, showing the parts in differentposition, the bar being shown in the. position it occupies when the doorhas been forced open and rota- 2. tion of the bar has been arrested bythe stop means.

In said drawings, Ill designates the side wall of a refrigerator carhaving a door opening H therein, which is closed bya pair of hingeddoors l2 and 13'. Each door is providedwith the usual sets of hingesl4'|'4 along the vertical outer edges thereof, by which the door isswingingly supported. The door I 2, which is that first closed, and thedoor I 3 havev meeting edges which are beveled and so inclined that thedoor [3 will maintain the door l2 in closed position and wedge the sameshut when the dooroperating mechanism is actuated. The edges. of thedoors and the cooperating edges. of the door frame are provided with theusual insulating packing material, not shown.

My improved door fastener mechanism comprises broadly a rotary bar A; apair of keeper engaging end members or castings B B; an operating handlelever C; top and bottom guide brackets D-D; a pair of keepers E-E withwhich the end castings cooperate; an intermediate guide or bearingbracketF having stop means thereon; and. a bearing block G carried bythe bar and having a stop projection or shoulder cooperating with theshoulder of the bracket F.

The bar Ais of substantial-1y rectangular cross section and has the endcastings B-B secured thereto.

The castings 3-3 which are at the upper and lower ends of the barrespectively are of similar design, but reversely arranged. Each endcasting B is of well-known design, comprising a forked portion embracingthe flat bar A at opposite sides and riveted thereto, and a crank memberat the outer end thereof cooperating with the corresponding, keeper E.The bar A is rotatably supported by the keeper engaging end members B-Bwhich are journaled in the brackets DD in the usual manner.

As clearly shownin Figure 1 of the drawings, the operating bar A isvertically disposed and has the crank portions thereof projecting aboveand below the door to engage the keepers E-E to force the door shut whenthe bar is rotated in one direction and force the door open when the baris rotated in the reverse direction. The bar A is rotated by means ofthe operating handle lever C, which is pivotally secured to the bar sothat it may be dropped to vertical posiion.

Intermediate its top. and bottom ends, the bar A is supported and guidedby the bracket F, which is secured to the door l3. The guide bracket Fis in the form of a U-shaped strap l5 having laterally projecting earsor securing lugs Iii-l6 by which the bracket is mounted. The curved U-shaped strap portion l5 accommodates the bearing block G for rotarymovement. As will be seen upon reference to Figures 3, '7, and 8, thebearing bracket F is open at the rear side, as indicated at I1, saidopening being of such a width as to permit insertion of the bearingblock G into the bracket in lateral direction.

At the top and bottom thereof, the bracket F is provided with interiorbearing Seats |8-| 8 which communicate with the opening l1, these seatsbeing of circular outline and rotatably accommodating the upper andlower end portions of the bearing block G. As shown most clearly inFigures 3 and 8, the circular walls of the seats |8-|8 merge with theside walls l9-|9 of the opening Between its top and bottom ends, the

body of the strap portion l5 of the bracket F is enlarged or expanded,as indicated at in Figures 2 and 3, said enlarged or expanded portionpresenting an interior seat or bore 2| of greater diameter than theseats l8l8. The seat 2| forms a guideway for the stop projection of thebearing block G, as hereinafter pointed out, and presents a circularside wall 22 concentric with the circular side walls of the seats l8l8.The circular side wall 22 of the seat or bore 2| merges with the sidewall of the opening I! at the left hand side of the bracket F, as seenin Figures 3 and 8. At the right hand side of the bracket F. as seen inFigures 3 and 8, the seat 2| terminates in a transverse stop shoulder orwall 33 formed on a projecting portion 24 at the back of said bracket,which portion extends into the opening IT. The opening I! is thuscontracted or of lesser width at the bearing seat 2| than at the bearingseats |8-|8.

The bearing block G is vertically slotted, as indicated at 25, toaccommodate the bar A, which the block embraces. The slot 25 is open atthe rear or right hand side of the block, as seen in Figures 3, 4, and8, and as shown in the perspective view, Figure 5. The block G includestop and bottom, disc-like bearing portions 26-26 through which the slot25 extends, and a radially projecting arm 21 midway between its top andbottom ends. The arm 2! protrudes outwardly beyond the disc portions26-26, as clearly seen in Figures 3, 5, and 8. The arm 21 is spaced fromthe top and bottom disc portions 26-26, being midway between the same,and is laterally 'enlarged at its outer end, thereby providing a headportion. The head portion has flat side faces 28 and 29 and a roundedend face or edge 30. The side face 28 forms a stop shoulder adapted toco operate with the shoulder 23 of the bracket F, as hereinafter pointedout.

The disc portions 26-26 of the block G are of such a diameter that theyhave a rotary bearing fit within the seats |8-|8 and will pass freely,in edgewise direction, through the opening I! to permit engaging thesame within the bearing seats of the bracket F, and the arm 2! is ofsuch a width as to pass freely in endwise direction through thecontracted portion of the opening H. The length of the arm 21 is suchthat it rotatably fits within the bearing seat or guideway 2| of thebracket F. The stop wall or shoulder 23 of the bearing bracket F and thearm 21 of the block G are located so that rotation of the bar A will bestopped by engagement of the arm 21 with the shoulder 23 when the leverC is swung from the position shown in Figure l to a position adjacent 4to the door l3 but spaced from the face of the door, thereby providingsubstantial clearance between the operating handle lever and the door.

In assembling the parts of the mechanism, either the bearing block G maybe first placed on the bar A and the bracket F engaged over the block orthe block G may be first assembled with the bracket and then engagedover the bar. In either case, in engaging the bearing bracket F over theblock G, the block is placed so that the arm 21 i in lengthwisealignment with the open ing I! at the rear of the bracket F, that is, itis: turned or rotated through an angle of in contra-clockwise directionfrom the position shown in Figure 3, so that the arm will pass freelythrough said opening. The bracket F is then secured to the door, thussupporting the bar for rotary movement. As will be evident, endwisedisengagement of the block G from the bracket F is positively preventedby means of the arm 2'! of the block which is engaged in the guideway orseat 2| of the bracket.

In Figure l, the doors are shown in locked and closed position, thekeeper engaging crank portions of the operating bar A being inengagement with the keepers and the operating handle lever C lockedagainst rotation by the latch means 3|, as is well known in this art. Toopen the doors, the operating handle lever C is unlatched and swung fromthe position shown in Figure 1 to the right and inwardly toward the doori3, thereby rotating the bar A and through the camming action of thecrank members forcing the door open. The lever C is positively arrestedbefore the same reaches the position where it would engage the door l3by the stop shoulder 23 of the bracket F being engaged by the arm 21 ofthe bearing block G, as shown in Figure 8. The operating handle lever isthus held clear of the door and marring of the finished surface of thelatter is positively prevented as the handle is swung on its pivotalconnection with the bar to drop to vertical position alongside thelatter. This stop means also performs in the manner of a safety device,preventing the attendant from injuring his hand which might otherwiseoccur by the same being caught between the handle portion of the leverand the door.

I claim:

1. In a door fastener for hinged doors, the combination with a rotaryoperating bar having keeper engaging means thereon cooperating withfixed keepers; of a bearing block embracing the bar and rotatabletherewith; a supporting guide bracket fixed to the door in which theblock is rotatably supported; a stop shoulder interiorly of saidbracket; and a stop projection on said block engageable with saidshoulder for arresting rotary movement of the bar, the portion of saidblock carrying the stop projection being enclosed by said bracket.

2. In a door fastener for hinged doors, the combination with a rotaryoperating bar having keeper engaging means thereon cooperating withfixed keeper means; of a bearing block embracing the bar and rotatabletherewith; a supporting guide bracket fixed to the door in which the topand bottom end portions of said block are rotatably supported; a radialstop projection on said block between the top and bottom ends thereof;and an interior stop shoulder on said bracket in the path of rotarymovement of said radial stop projection and engageable thereby to arrestrotary movement of said bar.

3. In a door fastener for hinged doors, the

combination with a rotary operating bar having keeper engaging meansthereon cooperating with fixed keeper means; of a supporting guidebracket fixed to the door, said bracket having top and bottom, interiorbearing seats and a guideway intermediate said seats; a bearing blockembracing said bar and rotatable therewith, said block having bearingportions at the upper and lower ends rotatably engaged in said top andbottom Ibearing seats; a radially projecting arm on said block betweensaid bearing portions, said arm being rotatably guided in said guideway;and a stop shoulder in said guideway in the path of rotary movement ofsaid arm and engageable thereby to arrest rotary movement of said bar.

4. In a door fastener for hinged doors, the combination with a rotaryoperating bar having keeper engaging means thereon cooperating withfixed keeper means; of a bearing block embracing said bar and rotatabletherewith, said block having cylindrical bearing portions at the upperand lower ends thereof and a radially projecting arm intermediate saidbearing portions; a supporting guide bracket secured to the door, saidbracket having top and bottom ibearing seats within which said bearingportions of the block are rotatably journaled, said bracket having aninterior guideway between the top and bottom ends thereof within whichsaid arm is guided for rotary movement; and a stop shoulder on saidbracket within said guideway in the path of rotary movement of said armfor arresting rotary movement of said bar.

5. In a door fastener for hinged doors, the

combination with a rotary operating bar having keeper engaging meansthereon cooperating with fixed keeper means; of a bearing blockembracing said bar and rotatable therewith, said block havingcylindrical bearing portions at the upper and lower ends thereof and aradially projecting arm intermediate said bearing portions; a supportingguide sbracket secured to the door, said bracket having top and bottombearing seats within which said bearing portions of the block arerotatably journaled, said bracket having an interior guideway betweenthe top and bottom ends thereof within which said arm is guided forrotary movement; and a stop shoulder on said bracket within saidguideway in the path of rotary movement of said arm for arresting rotarymovement of said bar, said guide bracket having an opening at the rearthereof communicating with said seats and guideway, said opening beingof a size to permit lateral insertion of the block within said bracketwith said arm, aligned lengthwise with said opening.

GEORGE E. DATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 968,190 Patch Aug. 23, 19101,439,859 Ballard Dec. 26, 1922 2,150,271 Dwyer Mar. 14, 1939

